Russian rocket against Boeing - Ten years anniversary of MH17 crash: Remembering the 298 victims
Ten years after the shooting down of MH17 passenger plane over the Eastern Ukraine, relatives and international representatives in the Netherlands honored the 298 victims. In the presence of King Willem-Alexander, relatives read out the names of all the victims at the national monument at Amsterdam Airport. Representatives of the Netherlands and Australia confirmed that Russia must be held accountable for the Boeing shootdown.
On July 17, 2014, the Boeing of Malaysia Airlines was shot down by pro-Russian rebels with a Russian surface-to-air missile over contested territory in Eastern Ukraine. According to international investigations, the missile was launched from a Russian military base and returned to Russia after the shootdown.
Two Russians and an Ukrainian were sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia by a Dutch court in 2022 for murder in 298 cases. Russia denies any responsibility and also refuses to extradite the men.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte promised that the affected countries would continue to fight for justice relentlessly. "We have time, patience, perseverance." The General Prosecutor of Australia, Mark Dreyfus, also confirmed that all efforts would be made to hold Russia accountable. 196 victims were from the Netherlands, 38 from Australia. Four Germans were killed.
"There were 298 innocent people," said the chairman of the Association of the Relatives, Piet Ploeg. "For ten years we have had to miss them, a permanent empty place."
Hundreds of people attended the memorial service, including relatives of the victims and representatives of the most affected countries: Malaysia, Australia, Great Britain, Belgium, and Ukraine. People laid sunflowers at the monument surrounded by 298 sunflower trees. Debris of the machine and remains of the people had fallen in sunflower fields at that time.
The memorial service was held in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, where King Willem-Alexander resides. The Russian government has not acknowledged any involvement in the war over Eastern Ukraine that led to the downing of the Flight MH17. After the incident, many passenger flights avoided flying over Ukrainian airspace, significantly affecting air traffic in the region. Malaysia, one of the countries affected by the tragedy, has a significant aviation industry, with Boeing being a key player, supplying numerous passenger aircraft to Malaysia Airlines. Following the incident, several passenger flights from Kuala Lumpur to Europe were rerouted, causing disruptions in the air travel sector. This incident also led to increased scrutiny on international cooperation in ensuring air safety and accountability in cases of aircraft accidents.
